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Buchanan sets mark in Villanova victory

The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard set the NCAA Division I record for consecutive free throws made as the Wildcats whipped Penn, 80-51, Tuesday night at the First Union Center to win their first round-round outright Big 5 title in 16 years.

Buchanan extended his free throw streak to 65 when he drilled a pair of foul shots with 4:46 to play in the game. That broke the NCAA Division I record of 64 held by Joe Dykstra of Western Illinois in 1981-82. Buchanan has quite a way to go before he can challenge the all-division record for consecutive free throws made in a season. That mark belongs to Northern Kentucky's Paul Cluxton, who was a perfect 94-for-94 in 1996-97.

The record, though, was the last thing on Buchanan's mind.

"I wasn't worried about the record," said Buchanan, who leads the nation in free throw percentage. "I just wanted to win."

Buchanan's accomplishment -- and Villanova's 4-0 run through the Big 5 -- was not lost on Wildcat coach Steve Lappas. It was only the fourth time a Villanova team had gone undefeated in the Big 5 and the win could not have come at a better time for the Wildcats (13-8). Villanova carried a three-game losing streak into the game and needed a pick-me-up.

"For us, we've been struggling a bit lately, which has been well-documented," Lappas said. "We got a special win tonight. To go 4-0 in the Big 5, there have been a lot of great teams in the Big 5 and in Villanova history, and to be only the fourth team in Villanova history to do this is an honor and a privilege. And for Gary to do what he did made it even more special."

The pro-Villanova crowd of 12,058 roared when Penn's Jeff Schiffner was whistled for his first personal foul with 4:46 to play in the game. It meant Buchanan had a chance to make history. Lappas, who usually doesn't watch Buchanan shoot free throws because he has become that automatic, watched this time.

"To be honest, I thought he took a little more time than he usually does," Lappas said. "I was a little concerned. I thought he had changed his routine."

Lappas was overcome with a sudden case of nervousness because Buchanan did not change his routine. He bounced the ball three times, cocked his right arm and hit nothing but net. He repeated the routine a few seconds later to put his name in the NCAA record book.

"I just tried not to think about it, "Buchanan said. "I just wanted to put it behind me."

Almost as much as the Wildcats wanted to put their three-game losing streak in the past. Center Michael Bradley (21 points, nine rebounds), guard Jermaine Medley (career-high 22 points, six assists) and Buchanan (13 points), took care of things on the offensive end.

Medley's breakout was long overdue. The 6-0 senior guard has struggled with his shot all season, but he had not trouble finding the range Tuesday night. Medley connected on 7 of 10 shots from the field including 5 of 6 from three-point range.

Obviously, playing at the First Union Center agreed with him.

"I felt like (Allen) Iverson out there tonight," Medley said.

All, though, was not rosy.

"I look at the stat sheet and I see a career-high 22 points, but I also see six turnovers," Medley said. "It's nice to get this win and go 4-0 in the Big 5 with all the tradition and history, but I really want to concentrate on not turning the ball over."

If there was one area Villanova needed to address it was. Defense. The Wildcats allowed at least 84 points in each of its last three games and 77.2 per game for the season.

There was no sign of that lack of defense Tuesday night. The 51 points were the fewest allowed by the Wildcats this season and only the second time Villanova has held an opponent under 60 points. The Wildcats frustrated the Quakers into 35 percent shooting from the field (20-for-57) and 28 percent from 3-point range (7-for-25). Penn even struggled at the free throw line, hitting just 4 of 11 from the charity stripe. Ugonna Onyekwe and Lamar Plummer led the Quakers (7-12 overall, 0-4 Big 5) with 12 points each.

"I hope we can built on it," Lappas said. "The bottom line is we played great defense and gave a great effort."

Part of that effort was a record-setting performance by Gary Buchanan.

"I think it's great," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said. "Unfortunately, it had to come against us, but I'll remember this game for that. It's a great accomplishment."